


Friendship Communism

by generalwierdo



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Actually really angsty, M/M, and meh, and well it GOT fluffy, based off my life yayyyyyyyy, but thats highs chool yall, dont worry it gets fluffy, except for tj, he's just tj, now its just sort of real, rereading this after ch 4, sort of angsty, yayyyyyyyyy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/generalwierdo/pseuds/generalwierdo
Summary: Everyone is friends, but some friends are better friends than othersOr, Cyrus always feels like the odd one out with his friends, except when he’s with TJ.





	1. do you even know i'm here?

Cyrus walked into school on Monday, checking his phone periodically and sighing. He had texted the big group chat about meeting up for breakfast before school started, but only TJ had answered, and he said that he had a doctors appointment and would miss the first period. Cyrus knew that Buffy and Andi had their phones on them, but they still hadn’t responded. Typical.

Walking down the hallway and stopping at his locker, he saw Jonah and Andi talking by the water fountain. He pushed down his annoyance that they hadn’t texted back, pasted on a bright smile, and walked over to them.

“Hey guys!” he said cheerfully. 

“Hey Cyrus,” they said together, and then returned to their conversation. 

Cyrus pursed his lips, but then reminded himself,  _ they’re your best friends. They’re your people. It’s ok. _ He grabbed his phone and started scrolling mindlessly through Instagram, while half-listening to them talk about History class. He had the same teacher as them but wasn’t in the same period, so he had no idea what Kelsey said to Finn. 

A few minutes later Buffy walked down the hallway, saw them, and waved.

“Hey guys!” she said cheerfully.

“Hey, Buffy! Oh, did you get my text about Saturday?” Andi asked, immediately abandoning her conversation with Jonah.

“Oh yeah, I have to talk to my mom, but if you’re coming to my game I bet you can just come over afterward.”

“Perfect.”

Cyrus felt the little pit in his stomach grow a bit bigger. He had plans to hang out with TJ on Saturday, but they didn’t know that. Even though he wouldn’t be able to hang, it still would’ve been nice to be invited.

“We were just talking about the drama of E period history,” Jonah remarked.

Buffy groaned. “Well, at least you don’t have York. He’s so boring, I’m pretty sure I half fell asleep during yesterday’s class.” 

“Oof,” Cyrus said, trying to insert himself in the conversation. But the three of them had made that little triangle where you can't squeeze in anywhere, and they were already talking about the injustices of teachers. Cyrus felt the little pit in his stomach grow bigger. But, the bell was about to ring, so he just excused himself from the conversation.

“Well, I gotta get to math, but I’ll see you guys at lunch!” He called. Buffy gave a little wave, but they mostly didn’t even notice that he was gone.

* * *

Cyrus walked out of Latin and noticed happily that Andi had texted the group chat instead of him having to for once.

Andi: Do u guys wanna eat at our usual spot?

Buffy: sure

Buffy: meet u there in 10

Marty: Can’t come today 😢

Buffy: Awh why?

Marty: Track meeting with coach

Buffy: Ooh have fun

Cyrus smiled and walked over to his locker to grab his lunch. He quickly texted the chat

Me: be right there

He walked over to their spot for the fall, which was a shady spot by the bleachers. No one was there yet, so he just plopped down on top of his backpack, and got out his sandwich. A few minutes later, he received another text from the group chat

Jonah: I’ll be there in five

Andi: same

TJ: I’m coming

Cyrus rolled his eyes and sighed. A minute later, he saw TJ walked down the path. Cyrus waved slightly, and he saw TJ break into a faster walk. He reached Cyrus and frowned.

“Where’s everyone else?” 

Cyrus shrugged. “I dunno.”

TJ sat down and pulled out his lunch. “So, what do you want to do on Saturday?”

Cyrus sighed. “I have no clue. Maybe we can just walk around downtown or something. Do some restaurant surfing. Oh, and remind me that when everyone gets here, we need to talk about the Lauv concert. It’s in less than two months, so we need to get tickets if people want to go.”

“Well, I’m definitely in. Ever since  _ i’m so tired _ came out, I’ve been dying to see them. And plus, the tickets are only like $50 right?”

“Well, right now they are. If Andi and Buffy keep being this ‘i don’t know….’ then they’re going to sell out before we even decide if we’re going!”

TJ laughed. “Well, if all else fails, you and I can always go together.” 

Cyrus smiled. TJ was the best friend.

Just then, Jonah walked up. “Hey guys!” he exclaimed. “Where are Andi and Buffy?”

Cyrus rolled his eyes. “No clue. Actually, we were just talking about-”

“Oh so guys, I’m playing at this open mic on Friday, are you guys free?” Jonah interrupted.

Cyrus mentally gritted his teeth. “Yeah, probably.” 

TJ shot Jonah an apologetic look. “Sorry man but I have an away game at Highland. The bus ride is going to take two hours, so I’ll be getting home at 9.”

“Oof bruh,” Jonah said while taking a bite of his sandwich.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cyrus saw Andi and Buffy walk down the path. They were talking and giggling between themselves, and Cyrus felt that little pit in his stomach start back up again.

“Ok, so I definitely need to transfer out of Ms. Greeves’ math,” Andi said as a greeting and plopped down on the grass. “My class is filled with the most annoying people you have ever met. And my seat partner is Kylie, aka the Queen of the VSCO Girls.”

“Sksksksksk and I oop! Dropped my hydro flask!” Buffy jokes. The two girls fell over laughing, and Cyrus felt lost. What was a VSCO girl? “Anyway,” continued Buffy. “You should totally transfer to Seagrish with me. They’re so chill, and let us pick our own seats.”

“Ok, I’m heading to Lional right after lunch to get the add-drop form.”

Cyrus just sat there. He didn’t even know what to say or do. So he just kept eating his lunch and scrolled through Instagram. He looked up to see Jonah and TJ having some sort of handstand contest, while Buffy and Andi did something on their phones. Lunch could sometimes be great, but could also really suck.

After a few more minutes, everyone started packing up and going to their next class. Cyrus had Chem with Jonah, but he was walking with Andi and Buffy somewhere. He felt eyes on him and saw TJ giving him a small smile.

“Hey, are you ok?” he asked concernedly. “You seem a bit...off.”

Cyrus just sighed. “It’s a problem that I can’t fix, but also I know what I have to do, but I need the causer to fix it.” 

TJ’s brows furrowed. “Ok, you lost me.”

Cyrus gave him a weak smile. “Can we talk about it on Saturday? If you want to hear the pounds of emotional baggage I have strapped onto me.”

TJ gave him a sympathetic look. “Of course. I’ll always be here for you Cy.”

Cyrus nodded and held his hand out for a fistbump. Instead, TJ leaned in and gave him a hug. Cyrus stood shock-still before the thought registered. Then he hugged the taller boy back.

“I gotta go to math, but I’ll text you later?” TJ asked.

“Yes please.”

* * *

The rest of the week passed by like it usually did. Andi and Buffy doing their thing, Cyrus trying desperately not to feel slighted, and TJ being there. TJ was always there.

SO when Saturday came around, Cyrus was so excited to finally get to spend some time with him. They had decided to go thrifting, and afterward try out a new tea place TJ had seen when on errands with his mom. Once their treasures had been acquired and teacups had been filled, TJ gave  the look to Cyrus. The one that says  _ Ok you need to talk about what’s going on with you _ .

Cyrus sighed. “So, ever since we were younger I’ve always been a bt of the odd one out. Being best friends with two girls and all. And for the most part, it hasn’t changed anything. Until around 8th grade. That’s when the division started to get a bit wider. Buffy’s sports schedule got more demanding, Andi had to spend more time on art, and I had my theatre stuff. I thought that we would adapt to the changes, and all grow together. But I feel like they’re growing one way, and I’m growing in the other.” Cyrus paused and took a deep breath. Tj was looking at him attentively, and gave him a small gesture, to go on. “The gap between being a boy and a girl grew larger. Suddenly they were going off to places during school together without me, having sleepovers and hangouts that I was free, but didn’t know about. They sometimes act like I’m not even there. Yesterday, at the lunch you missed? I counted how many times they actually addressed me, or asked me something. Twice. That’s it. In an hour-long lunch period. And everyone always tells me to insert myself into the conversation, and shit like that, but I’m tired of having to remind people that I’m there! I just wish that they would remember that I’ve been here, with them, for a while. And when I came out…” Cyrus trailed off. “When I came out, I honestly thought that it would bring us all closer. Like the shared fact that we all like guys could bring one of the gaps. But abso-fucking-lutely nothing changed. Andi still went out with Jonah, when she knew that I liked him. Still expected me to be happy for them. I anticipated more sleepovers, now that they don’t have to worry about me liking them. But whenever they text me to hang out, I always know that they’ve asked the other, and they said no. I just feel like the person walking behind everyone else on the path, all the time.”

Cyrus finished his talk, and flopped back in his chair, breathing out slowly. TJ frowned. 

“Cyrus, do you want me to tell you something?” Cyrus looked up and nodded.

“Before I became friends with you, I was a wreck. I was mean, I had terrible friends, and I had a debilitating condition that ruined my life. When I became friends with you, you literally changed my life. I became a better person, I got help for my dyscalculia. You helped me with that Cyrus. And besides all that, you’re the nicest, smartest, best guy I know.” TJ reached out and took Cyrus’s hands in his own. “SO let me tell you something, Cyrus Goodman. I can’t make everyone else stop treating you badly. I’m still gonna try, but I can’t fix them. But I appreciate you, and I’m never going to want to stop hanging out with you. I don’t care if you’re acting a little clingy, I don’t care if you’re acting a little rude. I love you, and you’re my best friend. Please, always remember that.”

With that, Cyrus broke down in tears. TJ stood up and walked over to give Cyrus a hug, which he gratefully accepted.

“Th-thanks Teej. You’re the best.”

TJ just hugged him harder.

After a long hug, TJ returned to his seat. “How about this. Next week, let’s you and me eat somewhere else from them. Get some space. It’ll help put things into perspective for you.”

Cyrus nodded and sniffled. “Sounds good.”

TJ cracked his knuckles nervously. He had been wanting to tell Cyrus something for a long time, and if he didn’t say it now, he would never work up the courage. “Cyrus?” he asked tentatively. “Do you want to know something good?”

“Yes please.” Cyrus groaned.

“I know someone who has a crush on you.”

Cyrus sat up straighter than a ruler. This was a surprise. “Who?”

TJ took a deep breath. “Well, he has blond hair. He’s tall. And he likes talking to you more than anyone else in the world.”

Cyrus looked at TJ in shock. No way. “Really?” he asked, trying to stay calm. “He sounds exactly like my type. Does he have green eyes?”

“Yup.”

“Plays basketball?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Is the guy I have a crush on too?”

TJ smiled ear to ear. “Hopefully.”

The two boys just sat there, grinning, for a long time. Finally, Cyrus broke the silence.

“So, want to go off-campus for lunch on Monday? We can get Panera, sit in my car and watch Netflix. Like a date?”

“There’s nothing I would like more.”


	2. will you even miss me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyrus and TJ go on their lunch date, but things don't go exactly as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw they're sophomores, but they haven't revealed their feelings to each other yet. It's based on my high school experiences but letting them drive really helped the storyline along so....

After Cyrus got home from his (date? hang out? conversation?) with TJ, he immediately wanted to text Andi and Buffy, to tell them about what had happened. But then, he remembered all of the whispering, the exclusion, the painful emotions he had felt. And even though the little voice in his head told him that it was a bad idea, he wanted to give them a taste of their medicine. So he silenced his phone, and spent the rest of his night reading, and snapchatting videos back and forth with TJ.

The rest of the weekend flew by, and on Monday Cyrus didn't know how to feel about school. He was ecstatic that TJ and he were now dating, but he didn't know how to even act around Buffy and Andi. Should he be normal? Aloof? Just ignore them? Be angry? The pit in his stomach and the voice in his head were arguing, and Cyrus just felt like disappearing into a hole.

On Saturday, Tj and he had talked about all of the "dating stuff" that needed to be sorted out. They agreed that they were going to be "casually out/dating" at school, and tell their parents when the time was right. They both had already come out to their families and their friends, and were just going to act the same, but with the bonus of having couple status. Cyrus fondly remembered how TJ had teased that he was going to be one of those boyfriends that posted an anniversary photo every day and smiled. TJ was the absolute best. But now it was time for school, where the absolute worst could happen.

Cyrus walked into school and mentally debated what to do. The voice in his head was telling him to act normal, that he didn't have to mention him and TJ, but to just be cool. Yet the pit in his stomach was telling him to just go to his locker, that there was no problem in giving himself some space. SO that's what he did, walking right by the group in their usual morning spot. Andi, Buffy, Jonah, and Marty were all there. Amber and TJ usually didn't get to school until later because they both had their first period's free, and Cyrus desperately wish that they were there so he could fall into TJ's arms, and vent to Amber. She usually sat with her other friends at lunch, but she would always find time to chat with him. 

Walking right by the group felt so weird to Cyrus, even though he knew in his heart that it was going to be good for him in the end. He needed space and time to think about what he wanted from his friends, and if he should talk to them about how neglected and unheard he was feeling. Unsurprisingly, none of them noticed that he had even passed them. Cyrus maybe saw a small tilt of the head from Jonah, but that was it. The pit in his stomach grew, and Cyrus just tried to shrug the feeling off. He got to his locker and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to TJ

_School is weird_

_I can't wait to have lunch with you, I desperately need a break from life_

_How's Amber?_

Surprisingly (he was notorious for forgetting to charge his phone,) TJ replied almost immediately

_R u ok?_

_I tried to talk Ambs into dropping me off early last night so I could see you, but even her love of romance couldn't get her to relinquish her 30 extra minutes of sleep lol_

_So I'm just working on my English paper _

Cyrus grinned. Texting TJ could always put him in a better mood, especially now that he knew his feelings were reciprocated

_You mean the English paper that's due in two weeks?_

_Ur such a nerd_

TJ replied almost instantly

_You know you love me ;)_

Cyrus blushed, but then heard the trill of the first bell

_Guilty as charged_

_First bell just rang, so I gotta go, but I'll meet you by the front office at the beginning of lunch_

Hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders, Cyrus slid his phone into his pocket, but not before seeing the final text from TJ

_Can't wait :)))))) ly_

Quickly typing out a final text, Cyrus hurried off to math, the giant grin still on his face

_ly2_

* * *

After a very quiet morning, Cyrus was desperate for some human interaction. So when he saw TJ and AMber talking by the front office at the start of lunch, he felt a rush of relief. He rushed over to the pair and threw his arms around TJ.

"You're never letting me have another morning before class by myself again," he grunted into TJ's shirt. Amber laughed.

"Hey Cyrus, you good bro?" she gently asked

"Nope," Cyrus replied, head still buried in TJ's shirt. "I need some mac n' cheese and my boyfriend." He took his head off of TJ's shirt and looked up at him hopefully. TJ just smiled.

"Well as far as I'm concerned, that sounds like a perfect lunch to me." he smiled, and gently peeled Cyrus off of him. "C'mon UNderdog, let's go."

"Talk to you lovebirds later!" Amber called over her shoulder as she walked away.

Cyrus and TJ just stood there for a moment smiling at each other. Then Cyrus gestured out to his car, and they walk out of the school talking animatedly about homework and teachers. However, Cyrus had an inexplicable urge to check his phone every 30 seconds _"just to see if I got any texts TJ"_. But with every check that passed, Cyrus because more and more saddened by the radio silence from the group. They had surely noticed that the two of them weren't there, and it seemed like they didn't even care.

Soon after they got back from Panera, they sat in Cyrus's car just eating and watching Sanders Sides on TJ's laptop. Yet Cyrus still kept checking his phone, a fact that frustrated TJ more and more. By the 10th check, he finally snapped.

"Look, Cy, I just don't understand why you keep checking your phone!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. "I'm just trying to sit here and have a nice lunch with you, and you're just glued to that thing."

Cyrus looked at him in surprise. "They haven't texted," he said quietly. "It's been 30 minutes and they haven't even asked where I am. I always tell them if I'm missing lunch, so this should be weird to them, but they _haven't texted._"   
TJ immediately softened and wrapped his arms around Cyrus.

"Do you want me to talk to them? Or I bet I can get Amber to do it."

"And what would you say?" Cyrus turned to look at TJ, his eyes glossy as if he was about to cry. "That they need to pay more attention to me? That I'm feeling out of place? Believe me, TJ I've gone over in my head a million things that I could say to them, but that would completely ruin the point. I want them to text me because they want to text me. I want them to invite me to hang out because they want to hang out with me. If they feel obligated to do that, then that takes all of the meaning out of it. Or they could resent me, and just straight up drop me. No. This is the impossible situation that I have to live with."

"But Cyrus, you don't deserve to be in this situation! I want to fix this for you. I want to make this whole thing right."

A tear came loose from Cyrus's eye and rolled down his cheek.

"Then just hold me, please. Be there for me. See me for who I am as a person. That's all I ever want."

And so TJ held him until the end of lunch, trying to ignore the tears leaking out of his eyes. Because he never wanted Cyrus to ever feel this way ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feedback from this fic was so incredibly positive that I felt like making another chapter! In this chapter, Cyrus is me once again, on a different day, however, and TJ is once more a made-up guy :( Hope you enjoy the angst, and learn some things for yourself! More chapters will be coming when I can get them, so please subscribe and bookmark for more angsty fluff
> 
> Also if this sounds like Please, See Me, that is one of my favorite fics, so it may have inspired a bit of this lol
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper


	3. why does it even matter to you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andi and Buffy confront Cyrus and TJ about the fact that they are dating, and then Cyrus confronts them right back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on a comment and just my general idea for how this chapter was going to go. Plus some amazing diolouge written by my friend,who didn't even know what this was for

After their lunch date, TJ and Cyrus were walking back into school. TJ’s pinky was fluttering with Cyrus’s, and both boys were wondering if they should just fuck it and hold the other’s hand. Turns out, gravity took care of that, and Cyrus tripped over a tree root and fell, splat onto the grass.

“Cyrus!” TJ exclaimed and hurries to help him up. Cyrus just sighed and brushed the grass off of his face. 

“It’s ok Teej, I’m used to it by now.”

“Still…” TJ clasped Cyrus’s hand and pulled him up. Cyrus lurched into TJ< and they just stood their, their faces an inch apart, smiling softly with their hands still clasped. And just as TJ was wondering if he should lean in and connect that inch of space, the two heard a scream of Cyrus’s name.

They looked around, and the two boys froze. There, standing with their arms crossed, were Buffy and Andi.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Buffy and Andi to start screaming at them. Words such as “you’re a terrible friend” “why didn't you tell us” and “really?” bounced around in Cyrus’s head like ping-pong balls.

“I mean, really Cyrus? You ditch us at lunch to kiss TJ? I can’t believe you!” Buffy was currently yelling. 

“Hey!” TJ yelled, effectively silencing the two girls. “You guys can’t go screaming at him like that!”

“Oh really TJ?” Buffy turned to him, fixing him with an icy glare. “Because I haven’t even gotten started on you.”

“Stop it!” Cyrus yelled. He turned to TJ and looked at him sadly. “TJ, can you let me talk to Buffy and Andi alone?”

TJ wrung his hands worriedly and looked at Cyrus. “Are you sure Cy?”

“Yeah. I need to tell them some stuff, and I know you have a math test that you need to get to. I’ll see you later.”

TJ leaned down and gave Cyrus a feather-light kiss on the cheek. “Love you.”

“You too.”

Cyrus smiled at him, and TJ returned it, then walked off. Cyrus turned back to Buffy and Andi, a determined expression on his face.

“Ok guys, so I think we need to talk.” He started, but then Buffy cut him off.

“No, actually we need to talk and you need to listen. First of all, why did you not even have the decency to tell us? I thought we were your best friends?”

“Yeah,” Andi cut in. “That’s just cruel Cyrus.”

“If you guys would just let me speak-”

“No!” Buffy exclaimed. “And second of all, TJ? Really?”

“Why do you hate him so much?” Cyrus groaned. “Are you still hung up on fucking middle school? He’s changed! We all know that. And, I’ve liked TJ for a long time. Which you guys would know if you ever even asked me anything about my life.”

“Ok look, we’re trying to save you from a doomed relationship that you didn’t even have the decency to tell us about, so please just listen.” Buffy started, but Cyrus was quicker

“A doomed relationship?! I’ve liked, no, loved TJ for over 2 years!”

“So you’re in love with an asshole.”

“What the fuck Buffy?!” Cyrus shouted. “Have you ever noticed TJ for the past four years? He is an amazing person? You’ve said so yourself!”

“Are we even talking about the same person right now? Do you not remember when TJ said that I shouldn’t be on the basketball team because I’m a girl?”

Cyrus groaned. How was Buffy still so stuck in the past?

“Buffy, as I’ve been attempting to say for this whole conversation, _that was ancient history. _Do you not remember when TJ helped you start the girls' basketball team in 8th grade? Or when he stole a golf cart just to help you get to class? Or last week, when he punched the guy who called you a bitch when you didn’t give him your number and then went with you to report him? You’re acting insane!”

“Look, Cyrus, I’m just saying that you don’t know guys.”

“Are you insane! I AM A GUY. So is your boyfriend of 3 and a half years. So is Jonah, one of your best friends. And here I was thinking that you might be supportive of something in my life for once…”

“What the fuck are you even talking about Cyrus.” Andi sighed exasperatedly.

That was the last straw for Cyrus. He turned to Andi, fixing her with a glare that could kill.

“_I’ll tell you what the fuck I’m talking about Andi,_” he almost growled. “I’m talking about the fact that you guys don't even care about me. I’m talking about how I feel like an outsider every day at lunch. I’m talking about how TJ makes me feel seen, and like a person. How TJ always texts back and asks if I’m ok when it’s obvious I’m not. How he doesn’t exclude me and make me feel like I don’t even matter. How when I came out to you guys, I thought it would draw us all closer, and we could talk and giggle about boys, without the worry that I would start liking one of you when we got older. But, it just made me feel even more alone. TJ helps me feel more like myself, and I guess it’s just a bonus that he likes me too. So yeah, we’re going out. But you guys can’t decide who I’m going to date, because if you guys are going to care about a part of my life that should be my choice, I would appreciate it if you cared about it all.”

And Cyrus turned and stomped off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, this took longer than i thought it would. First, i had the intro written, then i got some advice from some great people in my play (here's the link to storytime on my Tumblr about that https://bi-tyrus-shipper.tumblr.com/post/187832112062/storytime). Then my whole beginning deleted, and i cried. Then, using some dialogue my friend wrote and some new ideas, I wrote this! There will most likely be two-ish more chapters because lately, all i feel like doing is writing lol.
> 
> Leave comments+kudos for meeeeee, they give me such inspiration and joy!
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper


	4. can you care for once?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ talks to Andi about the situation

It had been one week since Cyrus had talked to Buffy and Andi. And his silence had been reciprocated. Jonah was somehow floating in the middle, and Marty was talking to TJ but said that it would be a betrayal to Buffy if he talked to Cyrus. AKA, life was complete bullshit. TJ felt so depressed about the situation. He had expected that when he and Cyrus got together, the group would feel so much closer. But instead, everyone was fighting. SO he had taken it upon himself to try to fix the situation. Which was why he was waiting at the Spoon Saturday morning for Buffy and Andi to talk.

TJ was staring at the clock and was glad that Amber wasn’t working today. Amber had a huge crush on Andi but was one of Cyrus’s best friends and TJ’s sister, so she felt even more awkward about the situation than Marty. TJ had asked Buffy and Andi to meet him at 10:30 to talk, to no response. It was now 10:35, and he was determined to wait until noon when he was supposed to meet up with Cyrus.

Surprisingly, TJ saw some movement outside, that looked like Buffy and Andi talking, maybe fighting. TJ gripped his phone tighter. He needed them to decide for themselves to talk to him because that meant they wanted to fix the situation. He saw the shadow of one girl stomp off and sighed. Then, the little bell on the door rang, and Andi walked in. She looked around the diner, and saw him, her face breaking out into a tentative smile.

TJ waved her over, and she sat down across from him. “Hey,” she remarked, trying to sound casual.

“Hey, Andi. No Buffy?”

Andi shrugged. “She’s really mad at basically everyone. I’m not mad, just super confused. Could you fill me in on you and Cyrus, and why he’s mad at us?”

TJ sighed. “Well, Cyrus and I started dating a week ago. What you saw, on the sidewalk Monday? That was, I think, about to be our first kiss.”

“But, you guys said ‘I love you?’ Isn't that a bit premature for a two-day relationship?”

“Well, we’ve been best friends for over 3 years, and have loved each other as more than that for most of that time. So no, it just feels natural. Like we’ve always been saying it. Anyways, I noticed that he’s been a bit off since school started. Like, he acts one way when we hang out and a completely different way when it’s everyone together.”

Andi frowned. “Yeah, he does that a bit with me too sometimes. Like when everyone else is here, he sort of...shuts down.”

“Exactly. So I asked him about it, and he gave this weird vague answer about how he has a problem, but only the causer can fix it, and they can’t know that they are actively fixing it.” Andi tilted her head in confusion. TJ just nodded. “I know, it sounds confusing. So Saturday, we hung out, and he told me about what was going on.”

Suddenly, a vibrating from TJ’s phone distracted them. TJ picked it up, and Andi saw the body language change. His smile became more real, he leaned back in his chair. He looked...happier. More relaxed.

“Cyrus?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah. I’ll text him and let him know I’ll call him later.” TJ sent off a quick text and put down his phone. “Anyways, on Saturday, Cyrus told me about how he feels really out of place with you guys. Like if he was gone, no one would care.”

“But we do care!” Andi insisted. “He’s one of my best friends!”

TJ pursed his lips. “Andi, he always texts you to hang out. You never text him. He’s always supporting you in all your endeavors and has to remind you to support him. He feels like that person who has to walk behind everyone else when there’s no room on the sidewalk. You say that he’s one of your best friends, but you don’t show it. And Buffy...well let's just say that Cyrus filled me in on your conversation. You guys can’t just not care about everything else in his life, and then suddenly decide to voice your input on who he likes. That’s something no one can control.”

Tears filled Andi’s eyes. “I didn’t know...I didn’t think that it mattered that much to him. “

“That his friends want to hang out with him? Yeah. It matters.”

“But how can I fix this?” Andi asked desperately. “I don’t want Cyrus to feel like he’s out of place.”

TJ shrugged. “Text him, don’t wait for him to text you. Take an interest in his life. Talk to him. He does the same for you.

Andi sighed. "Ok, I'll work on it."

TJ sat up in alarm. "Andi, this isn't a 'work on it' thing. Friends are supposed to want to be friends with each other. That's how it works. If you're just 'working on it', then instead of him being miserable, you'll be.

Andi grimaced. "So, what do I do?"

TJ shrugged. "I don't know, talk to him? Have a real, sit-down conversation between you two, and discuss how you feel. It'll make this situation so much better.

"What about Buffy?"

"Well, she thinks I'm the devil's spawn, and that everyone hates her. SO I think you should hold off on that conversation.

Andi stood up and smiled. "Thanks, TJ, for this. All I want is to make things better. I appreciate it."

"No problem." TJ smiled and waved as Andi walked out of the door. He pulled out his phone and clicked _Cy<3 _in his phone favorites.

"Hey, Cyrus! SO, I just had a very interesting conversation/...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, I'm sorry if this sucks guys, but the FINAL CHAPTER needed some exposition and a driving conversation. So here you go! As you guessed, the next chapter will be the final one, but I just want to that y'all for one of the most surprising supports of this fic. Sappy shit will be saved for the next chapter, so for now, gn!
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper
> 
> ps: EL ch 2 will be out ASAP, but school is insane n, so I'm doing my best


	5. will things ever be the same?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone tries to work their stuff out

Saturday, Cyrus had gotten a text from Andi. It was very simple: We need to talk. He had known about TJ’s planned conversation with Andi and Buffy but hadn’t known what to expect. So, he just wrote back that they would talk at lunch on Monday, and left it at that. Now it was a Monday morning, and Cyrus was a ball of nerves. What would Andi say? What would he say? Would Buffy say anything? And Marty and Jonah, what were their thoughts on this? It didn’t help that he had a math test that day, so by the time lunch rolled around, he was a ball of nerves. 

He walked into school and immediately saw Andi. She was looking around and at her phone, and Cyrus wondered where everyone else was. But then he remembered that most everyone was fighting with each other, and felt bad for a moment. But then he remembered how he had been fighting with himself about telling them how he felt for so long, and he felt a little less guilty. Then, Andi’s and his eyes met. She smiled a little bit, but it had an element of sadness to it. Cyrus lifted his hand in a wave, and she walked over to him. The two stood there awkwardly for a while until Cyrus finally broke the tension.

“You have 2nd free, right?” Andi nodded hurriedly. Cyrus suppressed a laugh. “Ok, I’ll meet you under the stairs. Let’s talk then.” And then, the bell rang, signaling the end of their conversation.

“I have history, but I’ll see you then.” Andi turned and walked away. Cyrus walked in the opposite direction, but not before noticing Marty, Jonah, and TJ engaged in conversation. He gave them a small wave, and hurried off*

First period flew by, and before he knew it, Cyrus was walking towards the stairs, hands clenched and that familiar pit in his stomach. He saw Andi sitting on one of the seats down there, typing something on her computer, and immediately felt a wave of memories come to him. For all of the freshman year, they had eaten lunch under these stairs. They had had so many laughs before the problems really started. He missed little Cyrus and Andi and was wondering if things would ever be the same.

“Hey!” he called out. Andi’s head snapped up from her laptop, and break into a smile. Cyrus walked over and sat down next to her. She closed her laptop and put it away.

“So,” she said, fidgeting her hands “I talked to TJ on Saturday.”   
“Yeah, he told me, but wouldn’t tell me anything about the convo. What...what did he say?”   
“Well, he told me about how you’ve been feeling lately and…” 

Cyrus felt small tears build up and was shocked to see that Andi was burying her face in her hands.

“Andi?”

She turned back to him, and Cyrus saw small tears in her eyes. “Cyrus, I’m so, so sorry. You’ve always been there for me, even when I got into SAVA and left. And when I came back to help Bex and Bowie out with Lewie, you literally threw a party! You’ve always been there for me, and I hate that I haven’t done the same for you. I never want you to feel like you don’t matter in this friendship.”   
Cyrus choked back a sob. “I just...just hate feeling this alone all the time,” and then Andi’s arms were around him and he let the tears fall. Just two friends, trying to be there for each other.

After 10 minutes of talking, and trying not to cry (mostly unsuccessful), they had hammered out the issues. That Cyrus was feeling ignored, which the solution was for Andi to try to regularly text him more. And then, there was TJ.

“He really likes you, you know.” Cyrus leaned back and smiled. TJ was amazing.

“TJ’s amazing.”

“And are you guys already saying I love you?”

“Yeah, I mean we’ve been saying it in a friendly way to each other for years, even if neither of us liked the other that way, so it just feels natural.”   
“You guys make a great couple. I haven’t even really been talking to you for a week, and I can see it.”   
“Awww, you’re sweet.” Cyrus reached over, and playfully pushed Andi. She giggled.

“Also ...Amber asks about you a lot.” 

Andi’s eyes widened, and Cyrus laughed. 

“She’s a senior!”

“So?”

“She’s Jonah’s ex!”

“So are you.”

“She probably doesn’t even like girls.”   
“She has a lesbian pride flag on her phone. I think it’s safe to say she likes girls.”   
They both looked at each other and burst out laughing. Cyrus recovered first and looked at Andi.

“I missed you.”

And, like it had been written, at that very moment, Buffy came walking down the stairs.

Cyrus froze, remembering their last conversation. And she hadn’t talked to TJ with Andi...this may not go well.

Buffy walked up to them, and Andi gave Cyrus a nod that was probably trying to be reassuring, but Cyrus just felt panic.

Cyrus looked at Buffy who looked at Andi who looked at Cyrus who looked at Andi and then looked back (but not that kind of look back) at Buffy. All was silent for a moment before Buffy’s phone let out a beep. They all stared at it until Buffy looked at the text.

“From Marty,” she said, with almost a laugh. “ _ Talk to them. It’s going to be fine. _ ” she smiled, and put the phone on a chair. “Can I sit?”

“Of course” Cyrus gestured to the chair, and she sat.

All was silent for a moment before Buffy raised her eyebrows and said: “Well?”

“Well, what?” Cyrus replied in confusion.

“Are you going to apologize or…”

Cyrus stood up, a dark cloud settling over his face. “Look, Buffy, I don’t think I’m the one who needs to apologize. I wasn’t the one who screamed at me for dating TJ, even though he’s been nothing but nice to you. I wasn’t the one who refused to talk to TJ with Andi. And I sure as hell wasn’t the one who made me feel so alone in the first place. So no, I’m not going to apologize. Not one bit.”

Buffy’s face fell. “Look, Cyrus, I just didn’t want you dating TJ because I don’t want you to start prioritizing him over us. You’ve always been there for me, and I don’t feel like getting ditched for your boyfriend every day.”

Cyrus laughed. “Buffy, you are ridiculous. I have prioritized you guys over what I think is  _ best for myself _ for so long. TJ is the only person who actually prioritizes me.”

“Well sorry that I’m busy a lot!”   
“Too busy to text me once? Or to talk to me once at lunch? Or to ask me one question about myself? Too busy to treat me like a normal friend, and not a helper? Because if you’re too busy to treat me as kindly as I treat you, then I may just stop treating you at all.”

Buffy fell silent, and Andi stood up. “He’s right Buffy. We haven’t been the best friends immediately, and we all know it. So can’t you just admit that you were wrong, apologize, and then we can try to move on and do better?”

Buffy stared at Cyrus, laser-eyed. But instead of cowering under her gaze, Cyrus stared back. They locked eyes for a few excruciating seconds before Buffy dropped her glare.

“You really like him,” she said softly. “And I’ve been a terrible friend.”

“Yeah,” Cyrus said curtly. “You really have been.”

All was silent for a moment. Nobody knew what to say, or how to fix a situation that was so messed up. 

“So,” Andi said, suddenly clapping her hands. “How can we fix this. We’ve all been friends for eight years, we’ve gone through so many difficulties, this should be a breeze.”

“Well, we could try to bring back the friendship fixer from 6th grade?” Buffy offered.

Cyrus laughed. “You mean where we had to pinch our noses so our voices were weird and then argue, and whoever laughs first was wrong?”

“But this isn’t a right or wrong thing. This is a ‘what has been done wrong in the past and how can we fix it for the future thing’”.

“So why does this feel so hard?” Cyrus and Buffy looked at each other, not knowing what to say. 

“Well, I want to keep being friends. I want to get past all of this. But I don’t know how.” Buffy groaned and sat down. “I’m so sorry for all of this. I guess I’m just worried that TJ will take you away from us. That’s why I was trying to make him seem like a bad guy. I really should appreciate you more.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. And I do want to keep being friends with you. I just want things to be better.”

“Me too.” Buffy looked up at Cyrus. “Hug?”

“Yes please.” Cyrus reached down and wrapped his arms around Buffy. All of the anger, and annoyance, and heartache between them faded away, and they were left with the friendship and time that they shared.

“So, you and TJ love each other?” Buffy said into Cyrus’s shoulder.    
He laughed and broke the hug. “Yeah, we do.”

And just then, Marty, Jonah, and TJ walked up.

“Hey, guys!” Jonah said, his joy radiating off his face. “All fixed?”

“All fixed. We’re all going to work on it.” Cyrus said, looking right at TJ> The two boys smiled, and everyone started to wolf-whistle. Marty walked over to Buffy and smiled. They hugged, and everyone sat down, ready for another great lunch. And this time, it was going to be a good lunch for everyone.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*Marty, TJ, and Jonah’s conversation can be read before you continue, but I find it best to read the whole thing once and then read the conversation, and then to go back and read it in order. But, your choice.

Marty and Jonah had been very confused about this whole fight between Buffy, Andi, and Cyrus. Marty didn’t really see the problem, and Jonah had noticed something was going on, but he was still mostly oblivious. TJ and the two of them hung out sometimes, so he wanted to talk to them and see where their heads were at. So, when he saw them talking in the hallway Monday morning, he immediately hurried over to them. 

“Hey, guys, what’s up?”

The two boys broke apart and gave TJ sheepish smiles. “Hey man!” Marty said. “We were just talking about the whole...situation.”   
“Yeah...that's something going on,” TJ said, scratching his head. “What do you guys think?”

They exchanged looks. “Well…” Jonah said nervously. “I think that both Cyrus and Buffy and Andi all have good points. I’m just confused on why all of this is happening now, why he didn’t air this out weeks ago.”

TJ fidgeted with his hands. “Well, I talked to him about it, and it’s mainly because he thought it wasn’t important.”

“Which it totally is,” Marty said, trying to navigate this conversation. “But Buffy is very adamant that she isn’t wrong on this one. Which we all know, means that this is going to be a difficult situation.”

“It already is.” TJ groaned. “I just want Cyrus to be happy.”   
“I’m glad you two finally worked out,” said Jonah with a smile. “I think that I was always shipping it.”

“Aww, what a softie,” said Marty laughing.

“Shut up dude,” said TJ, laughing.

Just then, they saw Cyrus walking by. TJ smiled.

“I hope that the conversation goes well,” he said wistfully.

“Me too.” said both of the boys, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One month later...  
Friendship Communism has been one of the most heartfelt works that I have created. The support that I have gotten from all of you has been so overwhelming and amazing. I am so grateful for all of you, and that you for helping me to write this work.   
Look out for more things to come!
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper

**Author's Note:**

> If you're looking for the old end note, it felt too personal for me to put up here. Everything still applies, but keeping it up felt uncomfortable to me. Just letting you know if you're wondering where it went
> 
> I'm also working on two other projects rn, so stay tuned!!!
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper


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